Shuttle car



Aug. 22, 1944. J. D. RUSSELL SHUTTLE CAR INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 1944 SHUTTLE CAR John D. Russell, Cranberry Township, Venango County, Pa., assignor to Joy Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 8, 1943, Serial No. 478,465

Claims.

This invention relates to vehicles for transporting materials and more particularly to a self propelled or automotive vehicle for gathering minerals at the working or producing area of an underground mine chamber and transporting the same to the main line haulage where the minerals are discharged onto such haulage unit for transportation to the preparation plant at the surface.

The self-propelled vehicles, commonly known as shuttle cars, now extensively used in underground mining operations have a, conveyor extending lengthwise of the vehicle oi substantially the same width as the bottom or floor of the car which is employedto load as well as to unload the car. In loading the shuttle car, the minerals are delivered into and piledvat one end of the car and the conveyor is intermittently operated to carry the minerals toward the other end of the car, and this intermittent operation repeated until the car is fully loaded.

In order that all of the minerals will be carried bodily toward the rear end of the car on the intermittent operation of the conveyor and the car fully loaded thereby, it is apparent that the side walls throughout the major portion of the length of the car must conne the material and prevent it from spreading laterally of the car, and to accomplish this purpose the cars now in use have the side walls extending upwardly from the edges of the conveyor in a substantially vertical plane or sloping at a slight angle from such plane. To secure a relatively large load carrying capacity in such cars, it is necessary that the car be of considerable length.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a self-propelled material-carrying vehicle having a relatively wide material-carrying section which may be completely loaded and unloaded by the operation of a conveyor extending lengthwise of the car and passing over the bottom thereof, and in which the conveyor is of substantially narrower` width than the main material-carrying section of the car or vehicle.

Another object is to provide a self-propelled material-transporting vehicle having a bottom or floor of substantially inverted V shape in-section and a material-carrying portion connected to each sideof the oor which is capable of being lowered during the loading operation to form, in eiect, a continuation of the floor, and raised during the unloading operation to deliver the material thereon into the pathof a conveyor extending over an inverted portion of the floor.

A further object is to provide a self-propelled material-transporting caror vehicle having a floor sloping from the center to each side thereof and a material-carrying portion pivoted to each side of the floor which is capable of being lowered or raised to permit the material being carried by the conveyor extending over the floor of the car. to spill onto the material-carrying portions during the loading of the car and to return said material to said conveyor during the unloading of the car.

A still further object is to provide a, self-propelled vehicle of novel construction which is easily loaded to its maximum capacity by delivering the material into one end of the car and carrying it forward by the intermittent operation of a conveyor, and unloaded by the continuous operation of the conveyor to discharge material` from the opposite end thereof.

These and other objects which will hereinafter be made apparent tothose skilled in this particular art, are accomplished by means of this invention, one embodiment of which is described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, where:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a self-propelled vehicle embodying my invention. y

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the view shown in Fig. l, and f Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line III-III of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, I0 represents a shuttle car made in accordance with my invention and having a relatively narrow body portion II at one end thereof. The body portion II is supported on each side by suitable pneumatic tired steerable wheels I2 journaled on a wheel mounting device I3 which are carried by brackets Il secured to the body portion I I of the car. The wheel mounting devices are preferably f/ of the character shown U. S. Letters Patent #2,301,144 issued onrNovember 3, 14942, on an application filed by me on February 26, 1941, and serially numbered 380,593. A cylinder Il having its piston pivotally connected to the wheel mounting devices I3 is mounted underneath the body section II for turning or steering the wheels I2.

The car Ill also has a relatively narrow body section I5 at the opposite end thereof from the body section Il. Body section I5 is supported on an axle I6 having pneumatic tired drive wheels Il journaled thereon. Also journaled on the axle I6 is a gathering device I8 having arms I9 for gathering and delivering material from the floor of the mine chamber onto a conveyor 20 which delivers the material into the body portion I3 of the car.

The arms I3 and conveyor 23 are driven through speed reduction mechanisms, not shown. by motors 2I carried by the gathering device I3 and the motors 2I are also connected by sprocket chains 22, to the wheels Il to drive the same.

Between the body 'sections II and I3 of the car I3 is a relatively wide load-carrying compartment comprising a floor 23 of substantially inverted V` shape in cross section which slopes from the center of the car to each side thereof. The noor 23 is of substantially the same width as the noor of the body sections I I and I3, each of which has flared noor sections 23 and 23 for connecting the noor 23 with the floors of the body sections II and I3 respectively.

Pivoted at 21 to each side of the noor 23 and extending longitudinally of the car, I3 are members 23 of substantially L shape in cross section which form the side walls of the car and provide ladditional noor areas 23a for the main loadcarrying compartment of the car. The ends of each of the members 23 are` partially closed by suitable closure members 23 which abut against the inner ends of the side walls of the body sectionsllandl. v

In order to turn the members 23 about the pivots 21, a series of hydraulic jacks 29 are pivoted between each of the members 23 and a frame 33 which extends longitudinally of the car and forms the support for the body sections II and I3 and the noor 23.- Housings 3I protect and cover the ends of the `iacks pivoted to the members 23. y

When the car is being loaded, the minerals are delivered by the conveyor 20 into the body section I3 of the car and as soon as it has been completely filled, an endless conveyor chain 33 extending lengthwise of the car and having nights 3l pivoted to each side thereof at intervals throughout its length, is operated momentarily to carry the minerals rearwardly in the car.

The nights 3l are preferably of the type shown in my copending application Serially Numbered 380.593 filed February -`26. 1941, and are so pivoted to the chain that as the nights pass over surfaces 23 connecting the body section I5 to the noor 23, they will follow the contour of the surface and will drop downwardly into engagement with the downwardly sloping noor section 23. As the nights leave the floor 23, they pass over the surfaces 23 and are raised until they lie in the same plane as the top of the nightconnectors arersisedbytheiackstotheir hlghestposition at which time the noor portions 23a slope toward the noor 23 and the minerals carried by the members 23 fall or slide onto the noor 23 into the path of the conveyor nights 33.

In order to protect the members 23 when in their lowered position, curved skid plates 33 are welded or otherwise secured to the outer surfaces of the members 23 which are adapted to rest on the noor of the mine chamber during the loading operation.

The conveyor 33 is driven through a suitable speed reduction mechanism, not shown, by a motor 33 secured to the outer surface of the body section II of the car. Power for operating the various motors is supplied through a cable 31 which is connected to a suitable source of supply and is wound on a reel 33 adapted to play out the cable when the car is moving in a direction away from the source of power, and to wind in or reel up the cable when the car is moving toward the source of power.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that a shuttle car made in accordance with my 34a. Lugs 33D on the nights 34 which engage upward 23 are actuated to lower the L shaped members 23 so that the portions 23a form, in effect, a continuation of the sloping noorr23, and the minerals conveyed by the chain 33 onto the noor 23 slide laterally onto the members 23. The conveyor 33 is operated each time the body section I3 is filled and the operation above described is repeated until the minerals have been carried throughout the full length of the car and the body section II has been substantially fllled.

After the car has been loaded, the Jacks 23 are actuated to raise the members 28 to an intermediate position so that the car may be free to invention lhas an exceptionally large load-carrying capacity in relation to its length and since the side members vare capable of being freely raised and lowered. the car maybe readily loaded to its maximum capacity and completely unloaded since the lowering and raising of the side walls moves the minerals laterally to the sides of car during the loading operation, and to the center of the car `duringthe unloading thereofrespectively.

While I have shown the car as having a gathering and loading device as an integral part thereof, it is apparent that the gathering device may be eliminated and the car loaded by other means without departing from my invention.

During the operation of thevcar, the operator rides on a platform 33 adjacent the forward end thereof in position to operate the control levers so mounted on the side of the body, section Il.

While I have described one embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that certain -modincations, additions, substitutions, and omission may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of thev appended claims.

`What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A material-carrying vehicle having a noor sloping downwardly from the center to each side thereof, a conveyor chain passing over the center of said noor and having scrapers attached thereto adapted to engage said sloping portions, a member pivoted to each side of said noor, and means for turning said members about their pivots to raise and lower the same whereby when said members are lowered the material will slide from said floor onto said members and when said members are raised will slide from said members back onto said noor into position to be engaged by said scrapers. A

2. In a material-carrying vehicle, the combination comprising a floor sloping downwardly from the center to each side thereof, a conveyor passing over said noor lengthwise of said vehicle, an L shaped member forming each side wall of said vehicle and having one leg pivoted to said noor on each side thereof, and means for turntravel through the mine chambers to the unloading station at the main line haulage. When it is desired to unload the car, the members 23 ing said members about their respective pivots.

3. In a material-carrying vehicle, the combination comprising a floor sloping downwardly from a center ridge to each side thereof, a chain extending lengthwise of said vehicle over said center ridge, and having flights pivoted to each side thereof for engaging said downwardly sloping portions of said iloor, an L shaped member pivoted to each side of said floor and means for turning said members about their pivots, said L shaped members forming the side walls and portions of the bottom of said car.

4. A material carrying vehicle having a floor sloping downwardly from the center toward the sides thereof, a conveyor chain passing over the center of said floor and having Scrapers pivoted to opposite sides thereof for engaging said sloping portions, a side wall pivoted to each side of said oor having a projecting member forming a movable floor portion for said vehicle, and means for turning said side walls about their pivots whereby when said side walls are lowered material will slide from said floor onto said moveable floor portions and when raised the material will move back onto the sloping portions of said oor into position to be engaged by said scrapers.

5. A material carrying vehicle having a flat floor section at each end thereof Connected to downwardly and outwardly sloping floor sections in the central part thereof, a conveyor chain passing lengthwise of said vehicle over the center of said oor, ights pivoted to opposite sides of said chain for scraping over the flat and sloping sections of said floor, sidewalls secured to said vehicle on each side of the flat iloor sections thereof, and moveable members forming the side walls for the central portion of said vehicle pivoted to the sides of the sloping floor sections.

JOHN D. RUSSELL. 

